We’ve worked with so many amazing companies over the years conducting our team building activities – each one inspiring us with their generosity and desire to make a difference in the lives of hospitalized children and Veterans. 9 years later, our team has just become used to seeing these wonderful acts of caring from corporate America. The Hanover Insurance Group, however, especially during this time of COVID-19 stands out with their generosity and kindness.

Our first team building activity with The Hanover was in January of this year when The Hanover’s sales and marketing team assembled and delivered 200 Cheeriodicals to the pediatric patients at Franciscan’s Children’s Hospital in Boston and UMass Childrens in Worcester, MA. This large, enthusiastic team made an incredible impact at these two hospitals, creating smiles we’ll never forget.

Given the outstanding feedback and impact from the Massachusetts-based activity, The Hanover scheduled a second-team building activity this year to take place in April at a planned team meeting in Santa Barbara, CA. While most of our corporate supporters were forced to postpone or cancel their Cheeriodicals activities because of the looming pandemic, The Hanover insisted on moving forward with the gift delivery of over 200 Cheeriodicals it had already scheduled at Cottage Children’s Medical Center and Santa Barbara Veterans Affairs Clinic.  Of course, social distancing restrictions made the team building component of this event impossible, so The Hanover agreed to be the first company to lead our new Direct Ship Initiative (which bypasses our traditional team-building component and has all the gift assembled at Cheeriodicals’ warehouse in Birmingham, Alabama and then shipped directly to the hospitals).

Then, when The Hanover heard about Cheeriodicals’ new Hospital Heroes Initiative designed to show support and provide encouragement to hospital heroes fighting on the front line of this pandemic, they were once again the first company to lead this giving effort. As part of our Hospital Heroes Initiative, The Hanover requested to send a total of 500 care bags to nurses and hospital support staff at 6 different hospitals: UMass Children’s Hospital, Floating Hospital at Tufts, Robert Wood Johnson Hospital, St. Joseph Mercy Livingston Hospital Michigan, Upstate Golisano Children’s Rochester, UCSF Benioff Children’s Oakland. The Hanover chose these hospitals because they wanted to impact healthcare workers in areas with a high prevalence of COVID-19.

Here’s just one photo from The Hanover’s delivery to Hospital Heroes in Rochester, NY:

Each of the Hospital Heroes bags was packed full of items to provide comfort during the healthcare provider’s hospital shift (healthy snacks, electrolyte powder packets, 24 oz water tumbler, write erase markers) and items to help them wind down when they get home (Epsom salt to soak tired feet and herbal tea). Each bag also contained a personal message that expressed The Hanover’s appreciation:

The Hanover has delivered more than 900 Cheeriodicals so far in 2020, impacting those in need across the country.  With each of their Cheeriodicals deliveries, their desire has been to give back to these local communities and make a difference wherever and whenever it is needed most. We have had the privilege of witnessing the giving spirit, up close and personal, with hundreds of companies over the years. What we’ve experienced with The Hanover will always be the benchmark for others to follow in the years to come – corporate social responsibility at its finest!